Four Steps to Get Your Home Organized this Fall

If all you hear is: "Hooray for Fall and all the upcoming activities, events and family gatherings!"  but your brain is really screaming: “Wait! My home isn’t ready for all that!” Never fear! We’re here to help!  We've put together a few tips to help motivate you get your home ready for the fall and get things organized for the holiday season. 

 Local professional organizer Jennifer Zovath of Your Polished Home says there are four things you can do to get started toward bringing more organization to your life. “First, you need to pick a space that’s a pain point for you right now. Pick something manageable. Let’s not decide to take on the entire garage today, shall we? Start with something you can begin and finish in one day. The overwhelming feeling of breathing a sigh of relief is satisfying when you do it in one go. I promise,” Jennifer says.

 According to Jennifer, it's all about these four steps:

 1. Edit your belongings.

The first step to get your home organized is to be ruthless about what needs to go for good. We all have these moods and modes where we are ready to say “today is the day.” Tap into that mindset, then - let's go!....Throw away/donate/recycle time! Make three piles and sort everything that will not be staying into one of these piles. Here are some pointers:

• Don’t hold on to something just because you bought it. I promise there is someone else out there who could use it if you decide to donate it.
• Don’t feel guilty about letting go of a gift that someone gave you that you won’t use/need. That person who gave it to you wouldn’t want you to keep it out of some misplaced guilt trip. Let it go.

2. Every item needs a home/space.

Take a step back and think about your space. Your home. Your family needs. Functionality, visibility, and accessibility are the top things you should think about. Seasonal things from the summer don’t need to be taking up prime real estate in your home now that fall is here.

For example, if you’d like to create a coffee bar station in your kitchen, pick out one spot and put all the coffee things there. Why not zone your coffee maker with mugs above it next to your favorite coffee and sugar?  This is one of my favorite things to do in client homes, and they ALWAYS thank me! It sure does beat walking to three different spots between your kitchen and pantry if you don’t have to.

Use clear tubs to put things in storage areas and label them so you can easily access them when it’s time to switch from winter to spring.

3. Don’t put it down. Put it away!

This simple mantra helps you maintain and keep up with your systems. But I also get it: We’re all human and have a million things to do. This doesn’t mean you should have to live with the guilt of “I cannot stop and put this packing tape away in the junk drawer. Therefore my systems have failed me.”

Think about creating a “holding zone” like a basket where things go that don’t belong. And then, put them away at the end of the day.

4. Maintain (and update) your systems.

Getting your home organized is one thing. But to keep your home organized, you need to maintain the systems you’ve created! Following Step 3 above is key for maintaining your systems, especially by labeling them, so anyone in your home knows where things belong for real. Your partner, children, and babysitter should each be able to figure out that bread lives in the bread basket and not just toss the bread in the back of the pantry!

At the same time, when you live with your new system, keep re-thinking about how you put things away. You will need to tweak the systems throughout a time period. This is normal!

Making your home and life organized. 

A common misconception is once you’ve organized a space, you’re all done, forever and ever. Hate to break it to you, but that’s just not realistic. Since our seasons of life are constantly changing, be flexible to adapt your spaces when and as needed.

One bonus step: don’t buy products until you’re ready! Figure out what you actually need first. Then see if you already own things around your home you can upcycle. Then, you’ll know if you must go to the store and buy supplies. This will save you time, space and money!

So now that you’ve picked a space, you can start and finish in one day, get to work! Envision your finished, beautifully organized, and labeled space. It’s light and fresh and ready for that new start you’d been dreaming of. Not only will it be more beautiful and functional, but it will also lessen your everyday stresses. Believe it or not, a huge weight will be lifted from your shoulders when your space is organized for your needs. It changes your daily functioning when it’s organized the way you want it to be. And it will save you time. That’s quite possibly one of my favorite parts of having organized spaces.

Take these tips and apply your own style, and you’ll be ready for all the fall activities – as well as the holiday events – that will be cruising through your home the remainder of 2021!

For more from Jennifer Zovath of Your Polished Home, follow her socials:

https://www.facebook.com/yourpolishedhome

https://www.instagram.com/yourpolishedhome